Lesego Malatsi - SouthAfrica.TO

[ AFRICAN AMBASSADOR ]
Source of hope
At the age of 22 Angela Larkan had a
vision of hope to assist AIDS orphans.
Today the world is behind her
bring access to safe drinking water
to people in developing countries.
Larkan believes in supporting future
generations and communities in
Africa by developing local, sustainable
solutions to care for orphans and
vulnerable children and boost HIV/AIDS
prevention and poverty alleviation.
At the heart of Larkan’s philosophy
is the uniquely African concept of
Ubuntu - “I am who I am because of
you” – and she works to strengthen
this community bond through
capability building and collaboration.
She works with communities to
empower people to become problem
solvers so they can help one another
not only to survive, but to thrive.
To assist Thanda.org, Levi also
now share Larkan’s story with its
7.2 million strong Facebook fanbase
as well as tweeting about Larkan’s
pioneering efforts. With the awareness
they are creating they are planning
to raise enough money to help
Thanda.org bring food, education and
emotional support to an additional
145 children for a full year.
It is estimated that there are almost
2 million orphans living with HIV/
AIDS in South Africa and that this
could rise to 5.7 million by 2015.
WHILE GROWING up in KwaZulu-Natal
Angela Larkan witnessed the hardships
and poverty suffered by many young
South Africans. She soon came to realise
that the future of South Africa will be
created by the next generation, but
“right now, our future doctors, leaders,
lawyers, and parents are fighting a
battle alone against poverty and AIDS.”
Believing that “everyone can be
part of the solution,” Larkan, started
researching orphans in KwaZulu-Natal in
2003. While graduating from Wesleyan
University in the United States she
wrote a thesis on the issue. After her
return to South Africa in 2008 – and
only 22 years old – she established the
non-profit organisation Thanda.org.
Through Thanda – meaning “love” in
Zulu – her aim is to fight the destructive
impact of HIV/AIDS and poverty on
rural communities and families.
Today, Larkan’s initiative supports
325 children daily while she is working
to bring hope to thousands more
through her innovative model for
orphan care and community change.
Her determination has now won her
not only international recognition,
but support from Levi clothing’s “Go
Forth” campaign. The campaign, a
global rally to create positive change
in the world, creates awareness of the
work of pioneering individuals to help
tackle the challenges of our time.
With Larkan’s success, she has
become the second person to win
honours with “Go Forth”, only being
beaten by Hollywood star Matt
Damon with his Water.org initiative to
THANDA’S MODEL OF CARE
Due to migrant labour, HIV/AIDS, and
rural poverty, many children in southern
Africa are not raised by their parents.
By using local structures and available
resources, Thanda’s approach enables
children to receive daily support
while they continue to live at home.
The prototype for this model
is Thanda After-School. Young
role models from the community
are employed to use local school
buildings to create a place where
children can learn, play, have fun,
and receive the support they need
to grow up as leaders. Students in
the program receive a meal each
day and participate in engaging
activities provided by the local staff.
These children are part of a stable
support system that offers guidance,
mentoring, skills development,
and a way forward – every day.
www.thanda.org
INDWE NOVEMBER 2011 19